Do intermolecular interactions control crystallization abilities of glass-forming liquids?

Broadband dielectric spectroscopy was used to investigate molecular dynamics of three very similar systems: D-glucose, α-pentaacetylglucose, and β-pentaacetylglucose in a wide range of temperatures. We found out that two latter systems (differing only in location of the acetyl group attached to the first carbon in the sugar ring) reveal completely opposite tendencies to crystallization. Therefore, the aim of this Article was to investigate in detail molecular dynamics of both pentaacetylglucoses to assess what are the underlying of different crystallization abilities of so closely related carbohydrates. To analyze the kinetics of crystallization, we used Avrami and Avramov approaches. Interestingly, we found out that both α-and β-pentaacetylglucose exhibit completely different crystallization mechanisms. In the first case, the value of Avrami exponent was estimated to be n = 2, whereas for the second carbohydrate this exponent was equaled to n = 5.5. Additionally, we have carried out isothermal time-dependent dielectric measurements on D-glucose to demonstrate that this saccharide is more stable than its acetyl derivatives. Results presented in this Article indicate that besides molecular mobility, the character of the intermolecular interactions might also be another important factor governing crystallization process. Surprisingly, this issue is not often addressed during studies on crystallization abilities of different glass-formers. Finally, additional optical measurements were carried out to get more detailed information about nucleation density, activation barrier for a crystal growth, and morphology of crystallization structures.